take up your cross, and follow me.

25 If
you try to hang on to your life,

you will lose it.

But if you give up your life for my sake,

you will save it.

26 And
what do you benefit if you gain

Is anything worth more than your soul?

27 For
the Son of Man will come

with his angels in the
glory of his Father and

will judge all people according to their deeds.

Isaiah 58

New
Living Translation (NLT)

True and False Worship

58 “Shout
with the voice of a trumpet blast.Shout
aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel[a]
of their sins!2 Yet
they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every dayand
seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nationthat
would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,pretending
they want to be near me.3 ‘We
have fasted before you!’ they say.‘Why
aren’t you impressed?We
have been very hard on ourselves,and
you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell
you why!” I respond.“It’s
because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,you
keep oppressing your workers.4 What
good is fastingwhen
you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fastingwill
never get you anywhere with me.5 You
humble yourselvesby
going through the motions of penance,
bowing your headslike
reeds bending in the wind.You
dress in burlapand
cover yourselves with ashes.Is
this what you call fasting?Do
you really think this will please the Lord?

6 “No,
this is the kind of fasting I want:Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;lighten
the burden of those who work for you.Let
the oppressed go free,and
remove the chains that bind people.7 Share
your food with the hungry,and
give shelter to the homeless.Give clothes to those who need them,and
do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then
your salvation will come like the dawn,and
your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,and
the glory of the Lord will
protect you from behind.9 Then
when you call, the Lord will
answer.‘Yes,
I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the
heavy yoke of oppression.Stop
pointing your finger and spreading vicious
rumors!10 Feed
the hungry,and
help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the
darkness,and
the darkness around you will be as bright as
noon.11 The
Lord will guide
you continually,giving
you water when you are dryand
restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,like
an ever-flowing spring.12 Some
of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your
cities.Then
you will be known as a rebuilder of wallsand
a restorer of homes.

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